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foramen

[ fuh-rey-muhn ]
/ fəˈreɪ mən /
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noun, plural fo·ram·i·na [fuh-ram-uh-nuh]. /fəˈræm ə nə/.
an opening, orifice, or short passage, as in a bone or in the integument of the ovule of a plant.
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Origin of foramen

1665–75; <Latin forāmen hole, opening, equivalent to forā(re) to bore2 “pierce” + -men resultative noun suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM foramen

fo·ram·i·nal [fuh-ram-uh-nl], /fəˈræm ə nl/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use foramen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for foramen

foramen
/ (fɒˈreɪmɛn) /

noun plural -ramina (-ˈræmɪnə) or -ramens
a natural hole, esp one in a bone through which nerves and blood vessels pass

Derived forms of foramen

foraminal (fɒˈræmɪnəl), adjective

Word Origin for foramen

C17: from Latin, from forāre to bore, pierce
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for foramen

foramen
[ fə-rāmən ]

Plural foramina (fə-rămə-nə) foramens
An opening or short passage, especially in the body.♦ The large opening in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes is called the foramen magnum (măgnəm).♦ The opening in the septum between the right and left atria of the heart, present in the fetus but usually closed soon after birth, is the foramen ovale (ō-vălē, -vālē, -vä-).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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